Meghan's holiday jam post melts into a PR mess

Perth Now

a day ago

Meghan Markle rolled out the red, white and blueberry on the Fourth of July, sharing a clip of herself assembling a charcuterie board — but her bid at 'easy entertaining' left viewers anything but entertained.
In a video posted to her As Ever Instagram, the Duchess of Sussex styled a wooden platter with fruit, star-shaped cheese, crackers, and a ramekin of her famously sold-out $14 ($A21.35) raspberry spread.
Dressed in a summery striped shirt and filmed in what looked like her Montecito kitchen, Meghan smiled, styled, and even giggled as she dropped a rogue raspberry into the mix.
It was a slice of domestic goddess realness — or at least, that was the goal.
Instead, some viewers likened the presentation to a 2014 Pinterest post.
'Bless her heart for thinking this is new,' one Reddit critic wrote.
Others called the faux calligraphy 'eye-roll inducing' and accused the Duchess of not-so-subtly product placing her jewellery into frame.
The video also popped up on her personal Instagram account just minutes later, featuring an aerial shot of the same board.
But while the jam sold out in 30 minutes back in April, not everyone who tasted it thought it was worth the hype.
Daily Mail previously revealed the spread — or 'preserve,' as Meghan insists on calling it — is made by The Republic of Tea, which also supplies her brand's honey and tea bags.
Their HQ is in California, but the jam's actually made in a factory in Illinois.
Reviewers described the spread as overly sweet, 'surprisingly runny,' and more 'raspberry dessert sauce' than toast topper.
Meghan's explanation? Jam is technically equal parts sugar and fruit — and she wanted hers to taste more like the fruit.
The result, critics say, missed the mark.
'It dripped off the spoon like a sauce,' one reviewer noted. 'You'd be forgiven for thinking it melted in transit.'
Compared to household staples like Bonne Maman, Meghan's jam couldn't hold its shape — or a spoon. Out of five stars? Two, generously.
In a May podcast appearance, Meghan acknowledged the drop-it-and-it's-gone launch may have frustrated customers.
She likened the strategy to a sneaker drop but admitted: 'I don't want you to eat that jam once every six months. I want that to be on your shelf all the time.'